This tea has a reputation for being brutally smoky. But while I found it smoky I didn’t find it brutal. It seemed less smoky than a Purple Dayi I own. There was a nice sweetness to this brew from the beginning. It was a smooth combination of sweet and smoke. They melded well together. This cake wasn’t real cheap or real expensive at 56 Euros. Not sure what I paid in dollars. I would buy this again in the unlikely event I run out.
I steeped this eight times in a 120 gaiwan with 7.3g leaf and 190 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, and 30 sec. I used lower temperature water in an attempt to mitigate the smoke factor. It may have worked. I also used a little less leaf than usual.
Flavors: Smoke, Sweet
Perhaps you have excellent airing out capabilities.
I only aired this out for about five or six days. My suspicion is that all the cakes of this did not get an equal amount of smoke but that is just a theory.